​How library staff can help researchers comply with open access mandates

​This presentation outlines the recent Canadian Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications and what it might mean for academic library staff who will need to become versed on open access (OA) options for researchers. The distinction between “Gold” OA policies and “Green” OA policies is discussed, along with pros and cons of each. Tools that library staff can use to determine the level(s) of open access provided by publishing venues, such as SHERPA/RoMEO, are shown, along with how these tools can be used to help researchers determine the publishing options that will enable them to comply with funders’ OA mandates. The presentation concludes with a discussion on how researchers can self-archive their author manuscripts in institutional repositories - such as the University of Alberta’s Education and Research Archive (ERA) - as an alternative means of meeting OA mandates.